Once in a Blue Moon: Nature's Rarest Events and Best-Kept Secrets

What's behind the eerie St Elmo's Fire phenomenon?
What was the mysterious explosion that tore through a Siberian forest in the early 1900s?
And can fish and frogs really rain from the sky?

Travel around the globe and even into space with this dazzling natural history book, discovering the stories of nature's rarest events and best-kept secrets.

From strange marvels of the night sky to the world's weirdest weather events; from the most peculiar plants to rare and elusive animals; this book gathers together a jaw-dropping collection of natural wonders. Eclipses, ball lightning, pizzly bears . . . each stunningly illustrated spread explores a different phenomenon, including those that have baffled scientists through the centuries.

Presented in five chapters - Amazing Space, Peculiar Plants, Unusual Animals, Weird Weather and Unique Wild Places - this is a celebration of nature at its quirkiest and most wonderful. Written by best-selling author Emily Hawkins and brought to life in glorious detail by illustrator Vlad Stankovic, this spectacular collection is the perfect title to gift, share and treasure for years to come.

Once a children's book editor, Emily Hawkins is now a full-time author. Her work has been featured on the New York Times bestseller list (Oceanology, 2009) as well as winning the Children's Travel Book of the Year Award (Atlas of Animal Adventures, 2016). Along with her background in children's non-fiction Emily has a strong interest in myth, folklore and storytelling. In 2020 she wrote A Natural History of Fairies, which has been translated into twelve languages, selling more than 100,000 copies worldwide. Emily holds a first-class English degree from Nottingham University, and lives in Winchester, UK.

Vlad Stankovic is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Sydney, Australia. His inspiration comes from science and nature on one hand, and fantasy, fairy tales, and all sorts of mysteries on the other. Created with both digital and traditional media, his illustrations can be seen published in picture books, greeting cards, and other stationery products worldwide.